Greater New Orleans

New Orleans Pelicans' forwards Luke Babbitt (8) and Alexis Ajinca (42) react to a foul call as Dallas Mavericks' Monta Ellis (11) looks on during the second half of an NBA basketball game on Wednesday, Feb. 26, 2014, in Dallas. Dallas won 108-89. (AP Photo/Brandon Wade)

Quick observations from the New Orleans Pelicans 108-89 loss Wednesday night against the Dallas Mavericks.

1. Mind-boggling
slump

It would be difficult to characterize what Pelicans swingman Tyreke
Evans has been experiencing as a slump.

Since the All-Star break, before Wednesday
night's game, Evans was a chilly 12 of 45 from the field.

Against the Mavs,
Evans was 2 of 9. The great percentage of his misses are inside of six feet,
since he's constantly penetrating. He has had no luck at all.

2. Good, bad quarter

The Pelicans got off to a nice start against the Mavs in the first quarter,
outscoring Dallas 27-20 while hitting 50 percent from the field.

New Orleans
finished the quarter on a 16-6 run. But as good as things were in the first,
that's how dismal they were in the second.

Dallas outscored the Pelicans 29-16
to wrest control of the game. The Mavs hit 55.6 of their shots while New
Orleans converted just 37.5.

3. Davis out

Once
All-Star forward Anthony Davis exited the game with 4:13 to go in the second
quarter, the Pelicans had to scramble to make up for his loss.

They tried going
big, with Alexis Ajinca and Jeff Withey on the floor at the same time, then
small with Luke Babbitt and Al-Farouq Aminu taking turns on Dirk Nowitzki –
with predictably dismal results.

If Davis' sprained left shoulder keeps him out
any length of time, New Orleans is going to be in even deeper trouble.